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Student: Teacher made me urinate in trashcan

Two students said they were forced to urinate in a classroom full of students during a voluntary lockdown at St. Cloud Middle School.

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Updated: 6:07 PM EDT Aug 20, 2013

Student: Teacher made me urinate in trashcan

Two students said they were forced to urinate in a classroom full of students during a voluntary lockdown at St. Cloud Middle School.

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Updated: 6:07 PM EDT Aug 20, 2013

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WEBVTT WESH 2 NEWS INVESTIGATES HAS LEARNED TWO LOCAL MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS WERE FORCED TO CHOOSE BETWEEN GOING TO THE BATHROOM IN THEIR PANTS OR URINATING IN A TRASH CAN IN A CLASSROOM FULL OF STUDENTS. IT HAPPENED WHILE THE SCHOOL WAS ON A VOLUNTARY LOCKDOWN EARLIER IN YEAR. THE TEACHER IN CHARGE WAS NEVER PUNISHED FOR ALLOWING IT TO HAPPEN AND BOTH SCHOOLS PRINCIPAL AND THE DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENT REFUSE TO TALK TO WESH 2 NEWS ABOUT THE INCIDENT. HOW COULD SOMETHING LIKE THIS HAPPEN? AND COULD IT HAPPEN AGAIN? WESH 2 NEWS INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER MATT GRANT WENT LOOKING FOR ANSWERS. THERE ARE POLICIES IN PLACE TO ASSURE SOMETHING LIKE THIS WON'T HAPPEN AGAIN? IS THERE ANYTHING YOU WANT TO SAY? SAINT CLOUD MIDDLE SCHOOL PRINCIPAL CINDY REFUSED TO ANSWER OUR QUESTIONS. WHILE SHE IS STAYING SILENT, THIS 13-YEAR-OLD GIRL IS SPEAK OUT. SHE TELLS WESH 2 NEWS INVESTIGATES AND MORE THAN A DOZEN OTHER STUDENT WITNESSES GAVE WRITTEN STATEMENTS BACKING UP HER STORY THAT SEVEN GRADE TEACHER JASON LEFER FORCED HER AND A MALE STUDENT TO CHOOSE BETWEEN URINATING IN THEIR PANTS OR A TRASH CAN DURING A VOLUNTARILY SCHOOL LOCKDOWN. IT WAS VERY EMBARRASSING. THE EMBARRASSING AND BIZARRE BATHROOM BREAK HAPPENED ON APRIL 29TH. ACCORDING TO POLICE, THE MIDDLE SCHOOL WAS PLACED ON A VOLUNTARILY LOCKDOWN AFTER SEVERAL PEOPLE REPORTED HEARING WHAT THEY THOUGHT WERE GUNSHOTS COMING FROM A NEARBY WOODED AREA. SCHOOL OFFICIALS SAY THEY WENT INTO A LEVEL ONE OR HIGH ALERT LOCKDOWN. POLICE INVESTIGATED THE AREA BUT FOUND NOTHING SUSPICIOUS. DURING THE HOUR AND A HALF LOCKDOWN THIS STUDENT WHO HAS TYPE I DIABETES WHICH MAKES HER URINATE MORE FREQUENTLY SAYS SHE URGENTLY HAD TO GO TO THE BATHROOM. DESPITE HER MEDICAL CONDITION HE WOULDN'T LET HER LEE. HALFWAY THROUGH THE LOCKDOWN I TOLD HIM I NEED TO USE THE RESTROOM AND I TOLD HIM TO CALL ADMINISTRATION TO ESCORT ME TO THE BATHROOM. HE SAID. ACCORDING TO A DISTRICT OFFICIAL THAT'S VIOLATION OF SCHOOL POLICY. WHILE THE DISTRICT WOULD NOT SHOW US A COPY CITING SAFETY CONCERNS A SPOKESWOMAN SAYS TEACHERS ARE TOLD AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR TO, QUOTE, CALL THE FRONT OFFICE IF THERE IS A CLASSROOM NEED OF ANY KIND DURING A LOCKDOWN. IN A STATEMENT THE DISTRICT SAYS HE USED POOR JUDGMENT TELLING US HE SHOULD HAVE CALLED THE FRONT OFFICE AND HAD AN ADULT ESCORT THE STUDENTS TO THE BATHROOM. INSTEAD OF CALLING FOR AN ESCORT HIS ATTORNEY E TELLS WESH 2 NEWS HE GAVE THE STUDENT AND ANOTHER BOY IN THE CLASS TO OPTION TO EITHER WET THEMSELVES OR UTILIZE A TRASH CAN HIDDEN FROM THE OTHER STUDENTS. I HAD TO USE THE BATHROOM. I DIDN'T WANT TO PEE MY PANTS. SO THE ONLY OPTION HE GAVE YOU WAS TO GO IN YOUR PANTS? YES. AND YOU FELT THE BETTER OPTION WAS? YEAH. TO URINATE IN THE TRASH CAN. CASEY WITNESSED THE INNOCENT. SHE SAYS HE TOLD THE CLASS TO LOOK AWAY AS SHE ACTED AS THE HUMAN SHIELD. WAS SHE EMBARRASSED? YEAH. WELL SHE WAS ACTUALLY URINATING SHE SAID THIS IS PROBABLY THE MOST EMBARRASSING THING I'VE EVER DONE. AS PART OF THE SCHOOL'S INVESTIGATION MORE THAN A DOZEN STUDENTS GAVE WRITTEN STATEMENTS DESCRIBING WHAT THEY SAW. ONE STUDENT WROTE I FELT SICK. SAYING THAT IS THE MOST DISGUSTING, HORRIBLE THING I HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED. ADDING I DO NOT FEEL SAFE IN HIS CLASSROOM. ANOTHER STUDENT WROTE THAT HE SAID, QUOTE, DON'T PEE ON MY CHAIR. THE DISTRICT TELLS US ITS POLICIES WILL NOT CHANGE AND TEACHERS WERE REMINDED OF THEM A WEEK AGO. I DON'T THINK IT WAS APPROPRIATE. NOW THAT I KNOW HE KNEW WHAT TO DO. I THINK HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN, LIKE, I DON'T KNOW SUSPENDED FROM SCHOOL AND SO HE CAN LEARN PROTOCOL AND EVERYTHING. BUT HE WASN'T SUSPENDED OR EVEN PUNISHED AND SAID THE SCHOOL'S PRINCIPAL SENT THIS LETTER REMINDING HIM TO CALL THE FRONT OFFICE IN FUTURE LOCKDOWNS. THE SCHOOL DID INITIALLY CONTACT THE DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES BUT DCF SAID THE CASE DIDN'T MEET THE CRITERIA FOR CHILD ABUSE. WHILE HE REFUSED TO TALK WITH WESH 2 NEWS INVESTIGATES ON THE RECORD, HE DEFENDED HIMSELF IN THIS EMAIL SENT TO THE SCHOOL'S PRINCIPAL AFTER THE INCIDENT. HE DEFENDS HIS DECISION. WRITING... STILL SOME PARENTS WE SPOKE TO SAY THE INCIDENT WAS HANDLED POORLY. IT'S UNSEABLE. HORRIFYING. WE ENTRUST OUR DMIDZ THEIR HANDS. THAT'S WHY THEY'RE IN SCHOOL. THEY'RE ROLE MODELS. HE'S NOT A ROLE MODEL. WHILE HE WAS NEVER FIRED HIS CONTRACT WAS NOT RENEWED BECAUSE ACCORDING TO THE DISTRICT HE DID NOT COMPLETE A REQUIRED CLASS AND WAS THEREFORE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR REAPPOINTMENT. AS FOR THIS STUDENT. SHE HOPES THE NEXT TIME MOTHER NATURE CALLS THE SCHOOL LETS HER ANSWER IN PRIVATE. BECAUSE NO ONE SHOULD BE EMBARRASSED TO USE A TRASH CAN IN THE CLASSROOM WHERE THEY HAVE A CHOICE OF USING A RESTROOM. WELL THE SCHOOL'S PRINCIPAL AS YOU SAW EARLIER REFUSED TO TALK TO US ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED OR WHAT WILL BE DONE TO MAKE SURE THIS DOESN'T HAPPEN AGAIN. THE OSCEOLA COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT THROUGH A DISTRICT SPOKESPERSON ALSO DECLINED OUR REQUEST FOR AN INTERVIEW.

Student: Teacher made me urinate in trashcan

Two students said they were forced to urinate in a classroom full of students during a voluntary lockdown at St. Cloud Middle School.